October 8, 2002 – Bentley software user Norman Foster is one of the five 2002 recipients of the prestigious Praemium Imperiale, an annual arts award bestowed by the Japan Art Association.

The jury wrote of Foster: "His architecture is universally admired for its conceptual and structural brilliance and 'high-tech' beauty — a special union of technology and aesthetics that has been polished and perfected over a lifetime. His works combine advanced technology, an ingenious geometry, attention to detail, and sensitivity to ecological considerations. Although uncompromisingly modern in character, [his recent commissions] demonstrate a great respect for the past."

The jury cited three projects in particular — the Sackler Galleries at the Royal Academy of Arts and the Great Court of the British Museum, both in London, and the Reichstag, the updated German Parliament in Berlin.

Read about Foster’s use of MicroStation in designing the Great Court in "Foster’s Great Court" in the MSM Online Archive.

Read more about Norman Foster, these projects and the Praemium Imperiale in Architecture Week or on the Praemium Imperiale Web site.